{"nrhp_refnum":"87001024","name":"Wilshire Branch","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"149 N. Saint Andrews Pl.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Los Angeles","county":"Los Angeles County","state":"CA","lat":34.07453636900004,"lon":-118.31181322399999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-05-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A one-story Italian Romanesque Revival branch library at 149 North St. Andrews Place in Los Angeles, built in 1926 (completed 1927) and designed by architect Allen Ruoff.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is significant as one of the largest branch libraries built with funds from the 1925 bond referendum and as an excellent example of 1920s regional design. It also represents one of the few public buildings by Allen Kelly Ruoff, a prominent local residential architect. It follows the library system's mid-1920s branch design guidelines.","narrative":"Completed in 1927 and dedicated on August 1 of that year, this branch library at 149 North St. Andrews Place in Los Angeles is a one-story, loosely L-shaped building of concrete tile and brick with stucco sheathing, carved tufa stone trim and a low mission-tile hip roof. Its asymmetrical facade is anchored by a Lombardic Romanesque doorway modeled on the Portal of Costanzo at Perugia Cathedral, with carved animal and foliate panels. Other features include a brick balcony, a courtyard for outdoor reading and a Renaissance-style fireplace inscribed \"Nec Nimis Prope.\" The library was among the largest and costliest branches funded by the 1925 bond issue and was photographed as the frontispiece of the 1928 Hand Book of the Branch Libraries. It follows the system's design guidelines, including separate adult and children's rooms, a patio and a community meeting room. Architect Allen Kelly Ruoff was known mainly for Mediterranean-style houses.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Allen Ruoff (Allen Kelly Ruoff)","architectural_style":"Italian Romanesque Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":null,"vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:27.769467-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/87001024.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001024/7bc67ff4c1-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001024/7bc67ff4c1-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Los Angeles","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilshire_Branch,_Los_Angeles_Public_Library.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Los Angeles</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wilshire_Branch,_Los_Angeles_Public_Library.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"100009648","name":"St. Andrews Square Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/st-andrews-square-historic-district-100009648/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123857639","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilshire_Branch_Library","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8022893"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/los-angeles-county/wilshire-branch-87001024/"}